older sorby bowl gouges?

[Lee Alkureishi]

If anyone's bee keeping tabs on my recent posts, you might have gathered that I like to pick up antiquey woodworking/woodturning stuff at garage sales. This weekend, I found another cool old lathe for peanuts - a Myford ML8. Some surface rust, and the motor pulley needs a collar, but otherwise in good shape. But, the coolest part of the deal for me was the box of tools that came with it.

It's a more-or-less complete set of turning tools, with matching turned handles, and came in a folding carry box with the previous owner's name on it. Some of the tools are shop made. - the large scrapers are from old files. I bought it because I thought it was a funky old collection that could be cool to own.

When I got home, though, I realized that there were 3 older sorby bowl gouges in the set - they have "robt sorby sheffield" stamped on the shaft/tang. They are the 3 left-most tools in the main section of the case. Score!

So, I now have a couple of questions:

- are the older sorby gouges as highly regarded as the newer ones?
- I'm guessing these would be carbon steel rather than hss. Is there any way to tell?
- what sort of grind are these most suited to?

Thanks

[Dennis Puskar]

You done very well great score.

[Scott Conners]

You can tell HSS vs carbon steel by touching it it to a grinder. Carbon steel will make a shower of sparks, HSS barely sparks at all. The grind on the one in your first picture looks quite usable as a bottoming gouge (cleaning up bowl bottoms), the second looks like it'd work alright rolled over on it's side, but might work better with a bit of the wings taken off. Just my thoughts, no expect here =)

[Lee Alkureishi]

Thanks for the tips. is there any reason not to put an Ellsworth-type grind on these?

And, is there much difference in quality between these and newer sorby gouges (besides having to grind more often)?

Thanks again

[charlie knighton]

1st one looks like a spindle roughing gouge, not for use with faceplate/bowl work

fantastic buy, really like the box, good gloat

[Bob Bergstrom]

Back in the late 70's that Myford lathe was consider a Mercedes. It should run like a Swiss watch. They made an outboard setup for it,but it was limited by hp. And lack of a lower speed. The gouges are carbon steel and you would really have to go easy if trying to put swept back grinds on them.

[Jamie Donaldson]

Grinding sparks from carbon steel are white with a little twinkle at the end, and HSS sparks are more orange and straight. It appears that all these old tools are carbon, and more of value for a collector than a user.